Local history: Scranton native Stillwell pioneered Niagara hydropower

Late in the 1880s, with electricity in its infancy, engineers sought to harness the hydropower of Niagara Falls. Their success proved to be one of the great technological achievements of all time, and they did it under the leadership of a Scranton native.

Lewis B. Stillwell was born in Scranton in 1863 to a family whose roots reached back to colonial times. He began his college studies at Wesleyan and finished with a degree in electrical engineering from Lehigh University in 1885.

From there, he went to Pittsburgh to join the staff of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Early systems of power distribution used direct current. Its problem was that it was not effective over long distances. Serbian scientist Nikola Tesla developed an alternating system of current that revolutionized electricity.

George Westinghouse purchased Tesla's alternating current patents in 1888. Lewis Stillwell was part of a small group of talented engineers at Westinghouse who worked on the development of an alternating current system in the United States. In 1891, he became chief electrical engineer at Westinghouse. The first hydroelectric generating plant at Niagara Falls was designed and installed under his leadership. It began operation in August 1895.

Stillwell left Westinghouse in 1897 to become the electrical director of the Niagara Falls Power Co.

Big opportunities

The world of electricity was still new, and that left Stillwell open to do big things. He left Niagara in 1900 and established himself as an independent consultant with an office in New York City. He focused on the electrification of railway lines. Clients included the Manhattan Elevated Railway Co., New Haven Railroad and New York's Port Authority, as well as railways in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Baltimore and New England.

At the same time, he served as director of the Rapid Transit Subway Construction Co. in New York City, where he oversaw the installation of the powerhouse and substations.

Conservation

His illustrious career was marked by a strong interest in energy conservation.

In 1914, at a joint meeting of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and three other national engineering societies, Stillwell spoke about the conservation of electricity and energy. According to him, conservation meant "utiliza- tion without unnecessary waste," and it meant developing natural resources, such as water, in ways that would enhance or increase the resource. He pointed out, for example, that the renewal of forests benefits the flow of streams.

The forward-thinking Stillwell suggested that steps should be taken to turn the nation away from "reckless waste ... to a policy of wise conservation, having due regard to the common interest now and in the future."

Stillwell gained the respect of his colleagues, and he served as president of AIEE from 1909 to 1910. During that time, he created a committee to establish a Code of Ethics for electrical engineers.

In 1933, for his distinguished career in connection with the design, installation and operation of electrical machinery and equipment, he received the AIEE Lamme Medal, named for his former colleague at Westinghouse.

In 1935, his pioneering work and distinguished achievements in the field of electrical energy and distribution earned him the Edison Medal.

Stillwell served with many other committees and organizations. He is credited with a number of inventions, including the Stillwell regulator and a time-limit circuit breaker. Stillwell passed away in Baltimore in January 1941, at the age of 77. At the time of his death, he was a resident of Princeton, N.J., and was a life trustee of Princeton University.

That school's library houses the collection of papers of this electrical pioneer from Scranton.

CHERYL A. KASHUBA is a university instructor and author of "A Brief History of Scranton, Pennsylvania." Contact the writer: local history@timesshamrock.com

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.